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A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck Gaoxian county in Yibin city, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, at 1:08 pm on Friday. As of 4:30 pm, the earthquake had left one person dead after being injured by the collapse of an outdoor wall during evacuation, one person with minor injuries, and five others with slight injuries, according to CCTV News.

Previously, on July 9, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Gaoxian county, as the area continued to experience frequent seismic activity. Data from the China Earthquake Networks Center showed that more than 10 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or above had been recorded locally over the past two days in July, according to China News Service.

Explaining the repeated earthquakes in July, Long Feng, a senior engineer with the Sichuan earthquake agency, told China News Service that the affected area lies close to the Huaying Mountain fault zone. Southern Sichuan contains numerous folded geological structures and pre-existing faults, he said, adding that earthquakes can occur when changes in rock properties or disturbances in the regional stress field affect these structures.

Global Times